Do Bonds Truly Last Forever?
by dragon122012
Summary: Yu Narukami hasn't seen his friends for 10 years. Spending his time living in America, he hasn't had the time to visit them. Will he get a warm welcome back party, or will the bonds that he once had disappear. Also, what is that eerie feeling that everyone has been feeling?
1. The Return

**A/N: Hey what's up guys, I have a new story for you Persona fans here. I just started to get into the Persona series and I was amazed at how great the characters were and decided to extend where the game left off so anyways here is a new story. If you guys are here for an update on my fanfic of The Betrayed Hero well... that's on hiatus for a while until I can find the motivation and inspiration to start it again. So without further ado here is the story and I promise you guys I will get better. I haven't written fanfics in a while so I am kind of rusty so hopefully you won't judge me that harshly.**

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><p>Do Bonds Truly Last Forever?<p>

"_Ten Years, it's been a while since I last came," _a man with grey hair thought as he walked along a trail to finally stand at the Samegawa Overpass to look over the small town.

"Inaba," he muttered quietly as he gathered his thoughts. "Hopefully I will be able to see some friendly faces again."

It was a warm spring day as clouds hung over the skies. It has been ten years since the man had seen this place. It has become more lively yet more moody at the same time. It gave him the sense of longing to be back here once again yet he didn't know why he didn't come back sooner. Nevertheless, he's back and hopefully he will have as great an experience as last time they met (minus the murders of course).

The man then proceeded to walk into town as he reminisced on the experiences and the memories he had with this place. He had known that this place was special, and knew that he can never forget this place and forget the bonds that he developed here. It was great while it lasted until he had to leave. He grimaced at the memory of leaving everybody at the station. That was the day he last saw them.

He walked on to the shopping district of Inaba. It was a lot more crowded than he remembered the last time he was here. He grabbed something from his pocket and pulled out a ticket that said:

Risette Concert

Date: 4/20/2022

Location: At the Junes in Inaba

Time: 3:00 PM

Backstage Pass

He looked down at it one more time and smiled as he was going to see all of them again once more. He saw everyone making their way to Junes and wondered what time it was as he looked down at his watch: 2:45.

"_Crap," _He thought, _"I better get to Rise's concert or she'll never forgive me," _He then ran as fast as he could to Junes.

He was able to pass to through the crowd that was literally filling to the brim. He saw a back door that was guarded by a huge guy. He ran over there and showed him his ticket. The guard took it from his hand and held it to the light as if it was a forgery. He then nodded and gave it back to the grey haired man and proceeded to let him pass.

The man went through and proceeded up the stairs to Rise's dressing room and heard some familiar voices.

"…so nervous right now," a feminine voice said that belongs to none other than Rise Kujikawa.

"Yeah, well this is your first time in a long while that you did a concert here Rise. Plus all of us are watching so more pressure on to ya,"

"Geez thanks Yosuke-Senpai, I feel really motivated now," Rise said sarcastically.

"Well that's what I'm here for," Yosuke said. "Anyways thanks for doing this at Junes. All of this publicity is bringing in a lot of customers from all over. Plus it gives us an excuse to have the gang back together."

"Yeah, no problem," Rise replied.

"Well anyways do you guys know if "he" is coming?" Yosuke asked and the man felt a little sting on how Yosuke said "he".

"Well he should be. I sent Senpai a ticket, but I don't know if he is going to come or not. He didn't reply maybe because he's busy in America." Rise responded sadly as she longed to see him again.

"It would be great to see Sensei again," said a very ecstatic voice that's none other than Teddie. "We were going to fight and I was going to knock the bear stuffing out of him to show how great our friendship was but Yosuke here stopped us before we did."

"Hey, you were not going to punch him out before he had to leave. Besides Ted, you know he was probably going to win," Yosuke said with a smirk.

"Why, you little…" Teddie replied with anger.

"Anyways guys, it would be great to see him again," another voice proclaimed which was the sound of Yukiko Amagi.

"Yeah, it's been ten years since we saw him," another girl replied which belonged to Chie Satonaka.

"Yeah, it would great to see Senpai again. I need to show him how the doll business is going," the gruff voice of Kanji Tatsumi boomed through the halls.

"Yes, it would be a great honor to see Senpai again. It would give us a chance to reminisce on some old memories," a boyish yet feminine voice of Naoto Shirogane said.

"Well, the concert is about to start. If he isn't here now then-"

"SENPAI?!" Rise shouted as the man came into the room. She blinked for a moment before she ran with full speed towards him and embraced him with all of her might showing how much she missed him.

"Senpai, it is you," Rise muffled into his shirt.

"Yeah it's me," the man replied and in about of matter of seconds, he was being surrounded by all his friends embracing him like they were trying to kill him. Eventually they all settled down to let go of the poor man and Rise was the last to let go of the embrace as she reluctantly did so.

However, not everyone went for a hug as Yosuke walked up towards him and looked at him for a sec. "Is that you, Yu?"

The man then looked at Yosuke with a smile and replied, "Well who else do you know who that has grey hair?"

Yosuke chuckled and replied, "Alright, don't have to be a smart ass about it. It's good to see you again." As Yu and Yosuke both did a bro fist.

He looked at all of them clearly and saw how clearly they have changed over the past years but at the same time the same. Chie was wearing a police officer uniform that said Yasoinaba Police Department with the words Lieutenant on it. Yukiko was in a red kimono that had a tag that said Yukiko and under it manager. Kanji wore his usual leather jacket and skull t-shirt but has a little doll in his jacket pocket. Naoto had on her usual "boyish" detective outfit but seemed to grow her hair out a little had a bit of make up on. Teddie was in his bear suit and was happy as a bear could be. Yosuke had on a Junes outfit as the tag on his shirt said Assistant Manager and had on his usual headphones around his neck. Rise had on her pop idol garb as she wore a bright pink blouse and black skirt and tights. She still kept her hair and looked very adorable overall as she looked very ecstatic today.

"It's good to see you again Yu," Chie said. "We haven't seen you in a while."

"Yeah it has," Yukiko agreed. "By the way, how's America?"

"Well, it has its perks but it is way too noisy," Yu replied. "A lot of the people there were more arrogant than the girls thinking they could cook,"

"HEY! What's that supposed to mean!?" shouted all the girls except for Naoto, who was chuckling in the background with the rest.

"Anyways enough chatting, we can do this later. Rise don't you have a concert you're supposed to be singing in," Yu remarked.

Rise checked the time and it was indeed time for her to start the concert, "Oh my god, it is time. I have to go now. Hopefully I won't mess up in front of you guys."

"Well, we'll see about that," Yu smirked. "Anyways don't be so nervous and you'll do fine."

"Thanks Senpai," Rise said with a blush on her cheeks that were visible for everyone to see. "Well I gotta go. I'll see you guys out there,"

Rise ran out of the room and to the stage as the rest prepared to see the live performance. Yu was feeling ecstatic as he finally was reunited with his friends as he saw their gleaming faces once again.

"Yo, Senpai," Kanji began, "Is there something between you and Rise? Because it looks like you two seem kind of comfortable with each other."

Yu looked at Kanji for a sec and blushed a bit as he heard this. _"Where the hell did Kanji get this idea from?" _he thought. _"He's usually the clueless one in our investigations." _

"Uh…uh n-no, of course not Kanji." Yu replied nervously as he tried to get out of this awkward situation. "I mean we haven't seen each other in a while and you know how Rise acts."

"Hmm," Kanji thought for a moment.

"Well, I think we should get going," Yukiko announced. "Rise-chan is about to start."

"Oh yeah that's right the concert is about to start," Chie said.

"Yes! This is going to be beary exciting!" Teddie exclaimed as all of them went to watch Rise's performance.

As they all went out to see Rise perform, she herself was preparing and the band was also getting ready to perform.

"Hello Inaba!" Rise shouted as the crowd shouted back at her. Today I, Risette, will be giving you the best performance I have ever done. So let's do this!"

The band started a beat and Rise started to hum as she sung:

_Heaven, Persona 4_

_I can't get my mind out of those memories  
>Now time to tell them "don't take my dream"<br>Still music keeps on turning me from the words that hurt my soul  
>Removing doubts from my mind<em>

_Those long days passing by from that door  
>Like late summer they slowly fade away<br>Finding ways through the favorite tune  
>Play all day with my eyes closed<em>

_Those long days passing by from that door  
>Like late summer they slowly fade away<br>Finding ways through the favorite tune  
>Filling me with those sounds<em>

_I can't remember your smile  
>I have no way to tell you "don't walk away"<br>Still sorrow keeps on tying me  
>Let my heart loose from a chain<em>

_Those long days passing by from that door  
>Like frail snow they slowly disappear<br>Finding ways through the favorite thoughts  
>Cocoon me in floaty bliss<em>

_Those long days passing by from that door  
>Like frail snow they slowly disappear<br>Finding ways through the favorite friends  
>Filling me with warm embrace<em>

_Those long days passing by from that door  
>Like late summer they slowly fade away<br>Finding ways through the favorite tune  
>Play all day with my eyes closed<em>

_Those long days passing by from that door  
>Like late summer they slowly fade away<br>Finding ways through the favorite tune  
>Filling me with those sounds<em>

The crowd put on a deafening scream as Rise finished her last line. Yu was amazed as this really was the first time in a while since he last listened to her sing. Her voice was melodious and beautiful. For some reason, he was now noticing how beautiful Rise was and how her body looks. He shook his head, _"Yu, what the hell are you doing? You shouldn't think these things about your friends,"_

"Yu, are you alright?" Naoto asked politely.

Yu shook it off once more and said, "Yeah of course, I'm fine."

"Now," Rise announced. "I think it's time for us to get loud!"

_Reach out to the Truth Reincarnation Version - Persona 4_

_Now I face out, I hold out  
>I reach out to the truth of my life<br>Seeking to seize on the whole moment here!_

_Yeah naked truth lies, only if you realize  
>Appearing in nobody's eyes, till they sterilize<br>Stop the guerrilla warfare to keep it fair_

_Bro change your rage to a smarter greater cause  
>You know the stake is high stardom is near<br>Those who sympathized you died, Killers pass you by  
>Do not waste your time hating flirting guys<br>Use your might to AIs to do justice to them all_

_Now I face out, I hold out  
>I reach out to the truth of my life<br>Seeking to seize on the whole moment to now break away!_

_Oh god let me out, Can you let me out?  
>Can you set me free from this dark inner world?<br>Save me now last beat in the soul_

_Yeah flooded apple pie  
>Left until somebody cries<br>Goddamn always talking shizzle behind man get left behind  
>Come on and quit that shizzle tell me what you really want<br>Louder ladies I can feel nothing in the tone of your voice  
>Closer it gets y'all know how everything reflects<br>Your soul and spirits lost pretends gets rejects  
>Look man you are one who actually you detest<br>I guess they're good reasons why you can't see next_

_Now I face out, I make head  
>I bleach out cock and bull of this globe<br>Thinking to seeking on the whole moment now it's on!_

_Oh god it's enough? Are you satisfied?  
>It's already disgusting to dance with your palms<br>Save me now last beat in the soul_

_Now I face out, I hold out  
>I reach out to the truth of my life<br>Seeking to seize on the whole moment to now break away!_

_Oh god let me out, Can you let me out?  
>Can you set me free from this dark inner world<br>Save me now last beat in the soul_

_Now I face out, I make head  
>I bleach out cock and bull of this globe<br>Thinking to seeking on the whole moment now it's on!_

_Oh god it's enough? Are you satisfied?  
>It's already disgusting to dance with your palms<br>Save me now last beat in the soul_

The crowd, once again made a deafening scream that was even louder than the first time as Rise waved to everyone and looked to her friends to see how they think so far. They all clapped and gave her a thumbs up to show that they thought it was great. Rise however was more focused on Yu's reaction as she saw him clap for her and gave her a smile that made her blush as she kept staring. She shook it off, _"Rise get your mind off of him," _She thought. _"He probably has a girlfriend in America already or a family," _She shuddered at the thought but she knows that she has to move on either way. After she got her mind off things, Rise prepared for the next song.

"Hey guys, do you get the feeling you heard these songs from somewhere?" Yosuke asked.

"Yeah, Rise didn't make these songs but I don't know any other pop idols that made these. But where did we hear these before?" Yukiko asked herself.

"Hmmmm…" They all thought for a while but was interrupted by Rise speaking in the microphone.

"Alright, how about another one?!" The crowd screamed in favor of this and waited in anticipation for her next song.

_Never More- Persona 4 _

_Irresponsibly ruthless words fill this town but,  
>Never more, will a painful voice flow by<em>

_Those days we spent casually are bidding farewell to us  
>As we lose those irreplaceable days<br>The rain hides the sun, stealing away its light  
>I am troubled as I lost what I believed in<em>

_I won't forget those days that I spent with everyone precious to me,  
>Never more, will I be alone even in the darkness<br>I will find it, that precious thing that I lost  
>Never more, because I'm sure your voice will guide me<em>

_I don't know when but I really have forgotten,  
>Those important words that I once believed in when I was young<br>In the world I can't wake up from I searched for them,  
>I finally found them, they were deep in my heart all along<em>

_If I get on the train now, I have the feeling I won't see you again  
>Never more, will you have to give the troubled me a little push<br>I will believe in that smile of yours, in our bond  
>Never more, for even when we are apart, your heart will be with me<em>

_Always I will be at the brink of your memories  
>Never more, just start walking and believe I'm by your side<em>

_I won't forget those days that I spent with everyone precious to me,  
>Never more, will I be alone even in the darkness<br>I will find it, that precious thing that I lost  
>Never more, because I'm sure your voice will guide me<em>

_I won't forget those days that I spent with everyone precious to me,  
>Never more, will I be alone even in the darkness<br>I will find it, that precious thing that I lost  
>Never more, because I'm sure your voice will guide me<em>

_Even now I remember  
>Those nights when I was only with you<br>Those are wonderful memories for me  
>I will always remember you<em>

Rise stopped and shed a few tears as she finished her last few lines. Yu noticed this and it seemed he was the only one that noticed it as everyone else was too busy cheering for her. He wondered why she was in this state but decided to brush it off for now and ask her later about it.

Rise was tearing up as she finished singing. There were just too many memories that that song gave out and it made her remember so many great stuff but also the bad. It was time however for her last song but she wanted to spice it up a little.

"Ok guys, it's time for the grand finale. But first, I want you all to meet my friends," Rise said as she gestured towards the group.

They all froze as Rise motioned them to get up. They didn't know what to do.

"WHAT?! She doesn't mean us right? Right?" Yosuke asked nervously as he sat frozen in his seat.

"What do you think dumbass? She's pointing right at us!" Kanji shouted back furiously.

"W… well w-w-what should we do. You know I get stage fright!" asked the nervous Chie.

"Ye…Yeah I don't want to be up on that stage," Yukiko muttered.

Naoto however, took this situation calmly and said, "Well umm… we could probably convince Rise that we don't want to partake in whatever activity that she wants us-"

"YEAHHHH! It's time for Teddie to shine!" Teddie exclaimed loudly as he ran up to the stage.

Yu chuckled for a bit, "Teddie's got the right idea. Let's get up there."

"B…b…but," Yosuke stuttered for a bit until finally looking at Yu's stern eyes and decided to give in. "Alright fine, but you owe me for this,"

As they all went up to the stage, Rise introduced each and every one of them. Once they all have been introduced they noticed that all of the band members were leaving.

"Uhh… guys? Do you notice that it's only us up here now?" Yosuke questioned. They all looked around and saw that was indeed true. Then Rise announced something to the crowd that probably made all of them shit themselves.

"Now, how would you like it if they help me do the last song for all of you?!"

The crowd went absolutely crazy as they want to hear friends of the great Risette play them a song for them. The group however just had an expression that puts Spongebob and Patrick to shame. Yosuke pulled Rise to the side and whispered to her furiously,

"_What the hell are you trying to make us do? Do you remember the last time we did a performance together? _

"_Yeah, I clearly remember standing on the pavement with my FACE!" _Kanji whispered loudly.

Rise was slightly intimidated, but she knew how to handle these guys. Even after so long, they were still the same as they were teenagers.

"Don't worry guys, all you guys need to do is play the same song we did last time and everything will be fine."

"FINE?! I clearly remember us falling flat on our faces when we tried to get out of the awkward situation we were in. Besides do you think we will remember a song we did 10 years ago?"

"Falling flat on your faces was your guys fault for being impulsive. Besides Senpai's landing was pretty cool," Rise said as Yu rubbed the back of his neck at the compliment. "Plus I'm sure you guys can remember. Just do your best and we'll be fine ok?"

The rest didn't seem convince as they highly doubt something so long ago would just jolt back into their minds.

"Pleeeeeeeeeease?" Rise asked as she shifted her feet and looked at all of them with her eyes. The stare of her eyes nearly killed them with endless barrages of cuteness. They all couldn't resist and agreed in the end.

"DAMMIT! Alright we'll do it only because you're so goddamn cute," Yosuke replied relucatantly.

"Yay!" exclaimed Rise. "I already have all of your guys instruments ready so just get to them and we can start," she finished excitingly as the rest went to get their instruments.

So they all found their respective instruments that they played back then. With Naoto on piano, Kanji on drums, Chie on the trumpet, Yukiko on the Saxophone, Yosuke on bass, and Yu on the electric guitar.

"Alright everyone, I think it's time for all of you to hear what my friends can do!" They all cheered one more time as the group got ready. "Ready guys?" Rise asked as the rest gave her a thumbs up and she counted to three as they started:

_True Story- Persona 4_

_You got yourself behind a door deep inside your heart, again  
>You wanna hide, you wanna come out going round and round<em>

_Thinking hard about it doesn't help you one bit  
>Say Hello (Hello)<br>You gotta say goodbye, the shrouds of lies, yeah!_

_Shout friends, just those words you feel that you'll need  
>And let your voice be heard all over the world<br>Stand up when you hear the knock on the door  
>It's me come on out<br>Get ready for your True Story_

All of them can't believe what was happening, they all remembered everything and they were playing so well. Even Rise was surprised on how well they were doing. However, there was more for them to remember:

_Even if you ignore the uneasiness in your chest, your heart will feel blue  
>In the end, tomorrow comes even if you don't think about it<em>

_Feelings can't go anywhere on their own  
>Change yourself, don't leave it in God's hands<em>

_Just find out that I have always  
>been able to hear your sad voice<br>Shake hands with the courage to hold hands  
>The stars are turning into constellations<em>

_Shout friends, just those words you feel that you'll need  
>And let your voice be heard all over the world<br>Stand up when you hear the knock on the door  
>It's me come on out<br>Get ready for your True Story_

They all ended with a high note as Yu took it to the next step and did a guitar solo and impressed the crowd even more than before that if there was a decibel scale, it would have burst into flames by now. Everyone was still in shock on how well they did in their performance. "_How the hell did we remember to play something that we didn't do in such a long time?" _Yu thought in his head.

Finally after everything settled down and as the crowd started to leave, the gang went back to the room and started to converse amongst themselves.

"Whoa! What the hell?!" Yosuke shouted. "How did we do all of that?

"It's because we're beartastic!" Teddie exclaimed happily

"I don't know, I honestly thought you guys wouldn't that well in the first place," Rise said while nervously rubbing her neck.

"Wow, you were very optimistic about us weren't you Rise-chan?" Chie said sarcastically.

"Weird though, it felt like I remembered everything from when did it ten years ago," Yukiko stated.

"Yukiko's right, it felt like I could remember perfectly what we did. It was like watching a video playback of it over again," Yu inquired. They all thought about it for a second until a clock in the room sounded a new hour. They all looked up to see that is was now 6:00.

"Wow it's already 6," Rise said. "Hey Yu, shouldn't we head to your uncle's house now? I mean I bet your uncle and Nanako would want to see you again."

"Oh yeah that's right, they said they had something planned for me when I was done with the concert. Well I think we all should get going now right?" Yu said. They all nodded as they followed Yu to Dojima's house and to see their favorite little girl Nanako. Yu thought that today was so far the best day in 10 years and never wanted this happiness to end.

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><p><strong>AN: Well one chapter down, I hope you guys liked it and like I said, I promise I will do better. I did this while I was sick so most of the time I wasn't thinking straight and yes my jokes are horrible. So once again R&R and hopefully I see you guys on the next chapter**


	2. A Party No One Anticipated

**A/N: Hey guys, welcome back to another addition to Do Bonds Truly Last. To be honest, I wrote this chapter as fast as I can so I could work on schoolwork tomorrow so it might be pretty bad and sloppy but I really wanted to get this out and I really wanted to finish this chapter. So forgive me if it is a really bad chapter and if they are grammar errors or spelling errors please let me know. Anyways I hope you guys enjoy. **

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><p>The Party that No One Anticipated<p>

As the former investigation team moved on towards the Dojima residence, they were complimenting themselves on how great they were on stage and how excited they were to seeing Nanako again. It's been years for some of them since they saw Yu's little cousin and they were anticipating this visit with as much joy as they could possibly contain. Memories have started to pour into their minds of the times they spent with Nanako and more importantly the time they had a cook-off for her.

"Geez, I hope Nanako cooked something or at least bought something," Yosuke muttered. "I really don't think a repeat of Mystery Food X will be a great welcome back."

"Hey, Hey," Chie started. "Do we really have to talk about that again? I mean it's been 10 years, we've improved."

"Yeah, if improved meant making it even deadlier, that I can believe. Otherwise just please stay out of the kitchen." Yosuke responded with a smirk.

"Why you little piece of…"

"Guys! Calm down. I don't we should fight when we all just got here," Yu interjected. "Besides, we're almost there."

They walked a few more steps to be right outside the Dojima residence. For some reason, it looked a livelier than the last time they saw it. All of the lights were turned on and they could smell a great sensation that made most of them drool. Yu was able to take the initiative and went for the door and knocked a few times.

"Coming!" a voice came from behind the door and opened the door. She was a teenager around 17 and she had long brown hair flowing down. She was wearing a pink blouse, white skirt, and flats as she looked at the man standing in fronting of her. She stared for a moment before her eyes filling with tears as she embraced Yu as hard as she could.

"Big Bro, it's you!" she said with enthusiasm as she embraced him even tighter.

Yu was stunned for a moment as how much Nanako has grown and he wrapped his arms around his little cousin, "Yeah, it's me Nanako. I missed you."

"I missed you too Big Bro," Nanako replied back.

The rest of the gang looked on with happy faces at the sweet sight of their reunion. A tall man with a stern look on his face came out and saw the two hugging each other and smiled as his little girl saw her "Big bro" again. He coughed a bit to get their attention.

The both of them broke off and Nanako looked happily at her father, "Dad look, Big Bro's back."

Dojima chuckled for a bit and turned to look at Yu. He stared at him for a second before smiling and holding out his for Yu to shake, "Yu Narakami, it's good to finally see you again."

Yu accepted the handshake and replied, "It's good to see you to Uncle,"

Dojima shook his hand and shook his head, "Ah what the hell, come here," and pulled Yu into an embrace as uncle and nephew were reunited. They stood like this for a few moments until they broke apart.

"Well come on in, the food isn't going to eat itself you know," Dojima insisted with a smile on his face as he gestured them all in to the house.

As they all piled into the small house, the thing they discovered was truly a sight to behold. Dishes and dishes filled the dining table as foods that can put a gourmet restaurant to shame were stacked on the dishes. Delicacies like sushi, tonkatsu, curry with rice, and more just filled everyone's eyes with anticipation and hunger as they saw food just laid out for them to eat. They were nearly to the point of drooling when Dojima finally announced,

"Well, what the hell are you guys waiting for? Dig in!"

They all nodded before everyone grabbed a plate and started to grab everything they could see onto their platter. It was a sight to behold seeing the group of friends devour the feast that was presented in front of him and at the same time fought for the right to certain types of food.

"Hey hands off the salmon! I called it!" Yosuke shouted.

"That halibut is mine! You assholes better not get any ideas of taking it!" Kanji warned.

"Hey! Who's touching the tofu!? That's mine!" Yukiko screeched.

"You're not the only one who loves tofu Yukiko-senpai!" Rise retorted.

"Teddie! Hands off the steak or I'll Galactic Punt you back into the Shadow World!" Chie warned intensely.

"Hey! This food is for everyone Chie-chan. Why do you have to be so beary mean!" Teddie responded fiercly.

"I highly recommend that none of you lay a finger on the curry or you'll meet the end of my barrel." Naoto said threateningly.

As Yu watched them fight over the food, it gave him the sense of being right at home as he chuckled at the groups friendly but childish antics. "Hey, save me some of the tonkatsu. I'm starving."

"Thank you Dojima-san for this dinner," Rise said politely.

"Now, now, there's no need to be so formal around me. Besides if you want to thank someone, thank Nanako. She's the one who cooked the food."

They all looked at Nanako surprisingly and said simultaneously, "Thank You Nanako-chan!"

"Nanako, this is really great," Yu said in admiration. "How about we cook together some time and make the food the best it can be?"

"Really?" Nanako asked with a surprise on her face. "Th-That would be great Big Bro," she replied with a smile on her face.

As they all stuffed their face in with the delicious food, they all started to converse themselves and to give Yu a rundown of what they've been doing for the past years.

Yosuke was now the assistant manager of the Junes in Inaba and is about to become manager after his dad got promoted to a higher position in Tatsumi Port Island. That meant his parents were leaving and Yosuke stayed behind because he said that this town "grew" on him. He was to be expected to take over after his parents decide to move.

Chie was now on the force like she suggested before Yu left. She is now a police sergeant, in charge of a small unit in Inaba. She looked a lot happier as she was now protecting her friends and family.

Yukiko took up the Amagi Inn after her mother retired. Even though she made the decision to be the manager now, she still kind of doubted herself when she took the position as she didn't know if this is what she actually wanted. Nevertheless, the position grew on her and eventually came to love being the manager and to stay in this beautiful town.

Kanji continued the line of business of making and selling dolls. He finally embraced his tastes and his hobbies as it showed what was truly him. He started to teach little kids to sew and even though they were a little intimidated, they eventually grew on him and he enjoyed little kids a lot. Even though he still kept his tough guy attitude as he kind of gotten used to it.

Teddie was still the mascot at the Inaba Junes. However, he was seen by the owner of Junes and thought since everyone liked him so much that he made Teddie the face of all of Junes. His bear costume is now the mascot of Junes and Teddie couldn't be happier knowing everyone will see how cute he is and how is now able to "score" with some women pretty easily.

Naoto is now a well-known detective in the regions surrounding Inaba as people heard of her achievement in solving a case that looked like it was already solved. She was called from all over to do cases and instead of making herself older and trying to act like a guy, she embraced her feminine side a little more and became a bit more childish then before.

Dojima was promoted to Chief Superintendent of the Inaba Police Department. Even though that meant he was getting a bigger paycheck, he was busier than ever. He had to lead the whole police force and had to look at cases as his old job of being detective demanded. However, he tried to work as hard as he could so he can return every night for Nanako's sake and tried to become a family again.

Nanako is was in her last year of high school as she will be graduating by the end of term and turning 18 in October. She still doesn't know what to major in and she doesn't know what to do with her life yet but everybody reassured her that she won't be making the decision alone and she had her friends and family supporting her all the way.

Finally, Rise was able to start back up her idol career and became even more famous than when she was teen idol. She toured all of Japan and occasionally went back to Inaba to do some concerts for an excuse to see her fans again. She has starred in many movies and can considered world class if she keeps this up. She is also trying to get into people's mind that she wants to be her true self instead of just being Risette. Even though Rise said these in a happy tone, Yu couldn't help notice it being forced or just fake in general. He couldn't shake the feeling off and decided to add to the list of things to ask Rise about.

They finished their dinner and now it was Yu's turn to tell his life story about what's been going on in America.

"Well after I left Inaba, my parents decided that the best way for me to get an education probably was to go to America to study. So they shipped me off to Boston, Massachusetts to go to high school there. I then graduated and went to MIT which is the most prestigious technical school there and got a master's in Game Design. I then got a degree in Business and finally I started my own company. Video Games have been a developing medium and if I'm able to become successful, I can capitalize and make it greater than it was before."

The rest looked on with surprised and awed faces as they saw what Yu was able to accomplish while he was oversee. All except for Yosuke who sat with a blank stare as he listened to Yu's story and his accomplishments.

"So what games did you make Senpai?" Kanji asked.

"Well… you guys heard of the game Sokomori Nakimori?"

All of their jaws dropped as he said this and were surprised that the creator of that game is sitting right in front of them.

"WHAT! You made that Senpai!" Kanji exclaimed.

"Sensei, that game was soooooooooooo AMAZING!" Teddie shouted. "The beautiful graphics, the art of the gameplay superb, and not to mention the girls in that game that I couldn't bear to choose just one!"

"Senpai, that game is a superb piece of gaming material that I can consider it one of the greatest games ever," Naoto responded.

"Yeah, I really liked the kung fu you can do in the game. It was very realistic but at the same time the cool moves you can do was just awesome!" Chie replied happily.

"Yes I agree, and I don't play that many video games, but that game really was great," Yukiko said.

"Wahhhh!" Rise cried. "Th-that g-game was so emotional that, it still makes me cry every time I think about it." Rise ended while still tearing up and everyone else sighed at the antics of their idol friend and laughed afterwards seeing how much they missed each other. However, everyone saw Yosuke still with that blank state and not saying anything at all.

"Yosuke, what's up with you? You haven't said a word since Yu told his story." Chie asked with worry in her voice.

Yosuke looked at Chie for a second before saying, "Oh, what. It's nothing really,"

Yu looked suspiciously at Yosuke. Something was definitely off with him even before he met them again. "Yosuke, I know there's something more than that. I've known you long enough to know that there is something deeper to it."

Yosuke was somehow infuriated by this statement and stood up from the couch he was sitting on and stared at Yu, "Do you?! Do you really know me that well partner?!"

Everyone was surprised at the Yosuke's outburst, Yu especially was. Yosuke was usually calm until he is provoked to a state of immense anger. It was more surprising that Yosuke was yelling at his best friend, the leader of the group. Usually everyone respects Yu's decision in everything including in him leaving for America.

"W-wh-what d-do you mean Yosuke?" Yu asked with a confused but also nervous voice that he barely used as he was usually calm in situations like this. It was very surprising to see Yosuke in this condition and all he wanted now is to find out why.

"What do I mean?" Yosuke asked sarcastically. "What do I mean?! Do you really not know what I mean!? You left us bro. You left us for 10 freakin years and what for? Just so you can go and start a business and make money and become "big"."

"Yosuke please calm down," Chie insisted as she was now a bit intimidated by the scene in front of her.

"NO I will not calm down! Yosuke shouted even louder scaring Chie even more and the rest just looked at the scene. "At least Naoto and Rise visited from time to time. Hell even sometimes they both had to give up their private time to come and visit us because that was the only time they could visit. But, you…" As he pointed to Yu with menacing eyes, "You didn't come to visit even once. You already broke your promise to us and Nanako. Hell you didn't even call again after the first year you were gone and when we tried to call you, it'll say we've been disconnected. We didn't know where the hell you were for most of the time or the things you've been doing. We were lucky that we could even find your address to give you your ticket. We were in the dark and everyone here was worried about you including me!"

Yosuke finished his outburst with a punch to the table as everybody jumped as the impact made them panic. Yosuke now had tears in his eyes as he was trying to calm down from his outburst. Everybody in the room was contemplating what Yosuke just announced and Yu was sitting there in shock. _"Was everything he said true? Did I really worry them that much?" _Yu thought as he looked around to see the others faces as they were also were in deep thought as much as he was. Yosuke, who still had tears in his eyes looked at Yu one more time before saying.

"I thought we had something, a bond that could never be broken, a friendship that could never be forgotten. But apparently that was all lie. All a lie just like how it was for Saki-senpai!"

Yosuke finished before bursting through the door and left the house. Everyone was still in shock on what just transpired here. Yu took it pretty hard; he never really had to deal with a situation like this. He kept thinking and thinking on what went wrong and what he did wrong to upset all of his friends. He mentally kicked himself for being the worst friend ever and being an ass for all this time. Yukiko was the first one to take action and stood up and said while heading towards the door,

"Well… i-it's getting late and I need to see how the inn is running so… I'll see you tomorrow Yu-kun." She walked out and then Chie followed suit.

"Y-yeah umm I have some paperwork that I need to finish at the station so I'll see you tomorrow Yu." She tried to put on a happy face to lighten the mood but eventually gave up and went through the door.

"Uhhh yeah… well I need to go back home to check on Ma and to work on some dolls for tomorrow so see ya," Kanji went quickly out the door to escape the awkward situation.

"Umm… yeah sensei I have to go and prepare for tomorrow's mascot day at Junes so I'll be seeing you soon," Teddie told sadly. Even Teddie was not in a happy mood as he left the house.

"Yes well, I need to get some rest. I was on the plane here and arrived just today so I'm pretty worn out so I will be seeing you later Yu-senpai." Naoto said while basically sprinting out of the house.

All that who was left was Yu, Rise, Dojima, and Nanako. They were just sitting in silence as they just didn't know what to do. Dojima and Nanako didn't expect this to happen when they planned out this party for them. It ruined their expectations completely as the happy mood turned sour in a matter of minutes. Yu just sat there distressed as he just ruined so many friendships in just one night. He just didn't know what to do. He wanted to break down but couldn't as he didn't want to show the others his weakness.

Rise was as distressed if not more than Yu was. To see him be in this condition was heart-breaking and she didn't know a way to cheer him up. She hated herself for not being able to do anything to help the man who has done so much for her. It made her feel ashamed of herself but nevertheless she tried to say something to calm him down.

"Senpai, are you alright?" Rise asked with a soft concerning voice as she tried to console Yu as much as she could.

"Yeah, I'm fine," he responded nonchalantly to the idol.

"Are you sure?" Rise asked again as she tried to pry some information out of him.

"Yes, I'm sure,"

Rise sighed in disappointment as Yu refused to let up and tell her how he feels. "Senpai, I know you're not alright and you can't just keep everything to yourself and expec-"

"I SAID I'M FINE!" Yu yelled at the top of his lungs. The Dojima and Nanako jumped in surprise at Yu's ferocity to his friend that cared about him. Rise started to tear up and eventually turned into heavy sobs. She got up and ran outside the house as she was still crying as she did. Yu finally realized what he did and got up.

"RISE!" he shouted and tried to catch her but Dojima spoke up,

"Leave her Yu, I think she needs to be alone right now."

Yu thought for a moment before nodding and just stood there for the first time not knowing what to do in a situation.

"You know they're right."

Yu looked towards Dojima who spoke with a stern look on his face as he continued,

"Nanako and I were waiting for you day after day, month after month, year after year. We were thinking you forgot about us. I honestly thought we would never see you again. You were in America doing who knows what and we were here just waiting for you to fulfill your promise that you never kept. And what that girl Rise said about you is also true. You always let other people tell about their feelings you so you can help them out but yet you don't do the same for yourself. You're literally a mystery to everyone and they can't help you if you just keep it all to yourself,"

Yu listened to Dojima's lecture and what he said was all true. He was ignoring them. He was the reason why they hate him. It's all his fault.

"_DAMMIT!" _he thought. _"I am such a freakin idiot!"_

"Big Bro?" He looked towards Nanako and saw not a young girl anymore but a grown woman now and it just couldn't accept the fact that she is nearly an adult now.

"Big Bro, I'm almost an adult now. I'll graduate by the end of this term. I'm not a little girl anymore. When you came back today even though I felt happy, it just didn't have the same spark as when I see you come home every day after school. After you left, I waited for you. I waited for so long that maybe you would surprise us and come through that door one day. And that I would see my Big Bro again. But you never came. You didn't come and you broke your promise to me and your friends," Yu nodded sadly as he accepted Nanako scolding while at the same time tearing up at her statements. "But, I forgive you," Yu looked up to see Nanako's beaming face as her smile radiated the room. "Because I love you, Yu. You will always be my Big Bro." After that she went up to Yu to hug him. "And I know your friends love you too. You just need make it up to them."

Yu was shocked at Nanako's apology as he sobbed a bit more and hugged her "Little Sis" back. It was heartwarming moment for Dojima as he stood up and embraced them both.

"I forgive you too Yu, we're family and family sticks together."

Yu was overwhelmed by the love that was presented to him. Maybe Igor was right after all. The bonds you develop will always last forever or do they?

"Thank you, I love you both." Yu responded as they all stayed for a while longer until they broke apart.

"Well I left your room exactly the way it was 10 years ago. The only thing I did to it was clean it up so bring your stuff up there and get some rest." Dojima told him.

"Will do uncle, thank you," Yu responded with a smile and took his belongings up to his room.

He walked up the stairs into the old room he used to occupy and opened it. Like Dojima said, it was exactly the way it was 10 years ago. He put his belongings onto the ground and lay on the couch. He thought for a moment about the day's events and what just conspired and how much he hurt his friends. There was one person he thought of more however.

"Rise," he muttered. "I'm so sorry," There was so many emotions and thoughts surrounding his head right now. He thought about how he hurt her. He shouted at her when there was no need. He made her cry when he didn't mean to. He was indeed a piss poor friend. For some reason, he cared about her a lot. _"How's she holding_ _up right now," _he asked himself. _"I know uncle told me not to comfort her but it felt wrong and I'm worried about her."_

Yu kept having conflicting feelings about her. Ever since he saw her again, she was just so beautiful. He always thought she was but now he was noticing her a lot more now. Her curves, legs, smile they were all so great about her. He mentally hit himself after thinking this.

"_Damn it Yu! Don't be the next Yosuke and stop being so perverted. Besides she wouldn't want me an ass like me anyways," _

He pondered on the subject for a while until he saw a light coming from the left side of his eye. He turned and saw the TV flickering. He looked at the time: 12:00.

"Damn it. Are you shitting me?" He said out loud as he looked at the TV again. It started flickering again until an image came up on the TV.

"The Midnight Channel?" he thought out loud again. He got up to get a closer look. He went up to the TV and saw an image of a young woman. He couldn't tell who it was at first but after closer examination his eyes widened.

"Oh shit!" He said before he heard a shout and scream downstairs. He ran downstairs to find Dojima knocked out and no Nanako. He saw the front door wide open as he knew what exactly happened but didn't expect it to happen so quickly. He got out his phone and started a group chat with the rest of the Investigation Team hoping they would at least pick up. He waited for a little while longer until he finally heard some voices.

"Hello? Is there something you need Yu," Yukiko picked up.

"Hey what's the problem?" Chie asked.

"Yo Senpai, what's going on?" Kanji questioned.

"Sensei, what's wrong?" Teddie answered.

"Senpai, are you in need of assistance," Naoto replied.

"Guys, I need your help now. Is Yosuke and Rise in this call?"

"No I don't think they are. Why is something wrong?" Chie asked nervously.

"If you can, call them back and tell them to meet us at Junes where we usually meet ASAP!" Yu responded quickly.

"Senpai please tell us what's wrong." Naoto asked in a worrying voice.

Yu sighed for a moment before telling them news that they thought they would never hear again.

"The Midnight Channel's back a-and Nanako's gone."

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><p><strong>AN: Well another chapter gone and probably the last chapter for a while because of me going back to school for make up work. Yeah I probably will die overwork this week but if not the next chapter will either come next week or the week after so keep an eye out. Anyways I hope to see you guys in the next installment of this Fanfic.**


	3. Nostalgia

_**A/N: Hey guys I'm back again with another installment. Sorry if this one is kind of not up to par in terms of my chapters. I really can't write good emotional scenes to save my life and so I did the best I could. I wrote this fairly quickly as I was trying to finish this before the weekend ended because I'm way too busy during the week so if there's any grammar errors or anything of that sort, be sure to let me know so I can fix it. Anyways hopefully you all enjoy.**_

* * *

><p>Nostalgia<p>

"_Dammit!" How can a man like Uncle be unconscious for this long?" _ Yu thought as he kept slapping his uncle's face to try and wake him up. Unfortunately it was easier said than done as Dojima didn't show any signs of waking up soon. Yu tried for another 5 minutes before eventually just giving up.

"Alright, I had enough of this crap!" he said as he started to carry his Uncle to the vacated couch in the living room. Apparently it was easier just trying to wake him up then trying to carry him across the room.

"Damn! What has he been eating for the last 10 years?" Yu set Dojima on the couch and left him there as he started for Junes as quickly as he could.

Yu was now running at full speed to the meeting place as he thought desperately. Everything was happening so quickly and everything is has just turned to shit in such a little time. He thought how Nanako is doing right now, probably stuck in the TV world if it even exists anymore. He thought about everyone else as what they would think about the situation. There are so many questions yet not enough time to answer them. Yu was so focused on his thoughts that he didn't realize that he was now in front of the Junes department store. Apparently it is now open 24/7 and is as brightly lit as ever.

Yu entered the store and looked to the left and found the elevators that lead to the food court. He entered one of them and immediately, memories flowed into his head of the experiences they had and the all of the times he would come here after school. The laughter, the relief, the smiles he would see on his friends faces were irreplaceable. He then proceeded to press the button that lead him to the food court and still memories kept popping back into his mind.

The elevator stopped and the doors opened in front of him. He stepped out to see the food court where they would always meet. This is the first time he's been here as late as this and it was a weird feeling to see it at night. Yu proceeded to walk towards the tables. He went to the table where all of them would meet after school to discuss the murders. The table that was dubbed their "Secret Headquarters". It was an experience that he would never forget. Apparently no was here yet so Yu just sat down and waited for anyone to come.

Ten minutes later, he saw a tall man with blond hair and saw that it was Kanji. He looked towards Yu and walked towards him. He came up to the table and nodded to Yu before sitting down.

"Hey Kanji," Yu said with relief in his voice as at least one person came to help him.

"Yo, Senpai," Kanji replied nervously. He was still shaken up on what transpired back at the Dojima Residence. There was an awkward silence for a while until Kanji broke the silence.

"So, Nanako-Chan has been kidnapped you think?"

"Yeah… I saw her on the Midnight Channel and then I heard a scream and some noises downstairs and when I got down there, I saw my Uncle knocked out and the door open."

"Damn! I thought we got rid of the Midnight Channel?!" Kanji replied as he smashed his hand on the table causing a few customers to look at him with surprise.

"Calm down Kanji, but yeah you're right though. I thought we got rid of it too. They're too many questions that I don't know the answer to." Yu said as the silence was heavy among the two again. Yu decided he needed to ask Kanji his opinion on the matter.

"So… umm Kanji, what did you think about umm… you know?" Yu started before breaking off as he didn't really know how to ask him.

"Oh you mean the… Yeah…" Kanji replied with uncertainty in his voice. "Well to be honest Senpai-"

"Kanji, we're not high schoolers anymore alright? So just call me Yu."

Kanji smiled for a bit and responded, "Ok Yu, well to be honest I'm kind of torn."

"I see, how so?" Yu asked.

"Well…" Kanji started while thinking on how to say what he wanted to say without breaking Yu's feeling too much. "You see, I know you had to go America to do whatever you had to do. And I know you were busy for most of the time, but Yosuke was right. You didn't come to visit nor even try to talk to us. I mean we are your friends so why didn't you try and talk to us?"

Yu was expecting something like this. He_ was_ gone for ten years and never really talked to them. He was surprised it took Kanji this long to tell him off like this. However, Yu didn't know what to say to Kanji as he really doesn't have any answer himself.

"I… I- I don't know Kanji. It's complicated." Yu responded lamely.

"Hah, complicated? Yu, we solved a case that the dumbass police couldn't even figure out. Now that was complicated. What I don't see is not visiting your friends for ten years complicated." Kanji responded with a bit of anger in his voice as he is not seeing how Yu could be this inconsiderate. "I mean with we're your friends dude, and you can't even tell us why the hell you didn't want to come back,"

Yu couldn't find the words to express his sadness and his shame. He left them and never even said a single word to all of them in years. It just made him feeling even guiltier as he tried to think of a response. Thankfully the rest of the former Investigation Team came at that moment to break the silence.

"Yu!" Chie exclaimed while the rest took their seats including Yosuke who looked reluctantly to do so. "What happened? You said something happened to Nanako-Chan?"

"Yeah something happened but where's Rise? I really don't want to explain what happened multiple times." Yu replied as he noticed her not being with the group. He started to feel guilty once again at what happened between him and Rise. He thought she would at least come to chastise him and maybe a good slap but apparently not.

"I don't know," Yukiko responded. "I tried to call her and text her but she didn't reply. Did something happen Yu-kun?"

Yu looked down in shame as he was the one who made Rise this upset. He was the one to blame for everything. Hell even Nanako's disappearance could be his fault. "Yeah, something happened but I don't want to talk about it now. I think I should find Rise. Is she staying at your inn?" Yu asked.

Yukiko shook her head, "No, I think she's still staying with her Grandmother at the tofu shop."

Yu nodded "Alright I don't think she really wants to go right now. In the meantime you guys should go and prepare for tomorrow. I don't think any of us would want to go right now especially Rise. Teddie, you can still get us out of the TV world right?"

"Of course Sensei. I went in there all the time. It still looks like what it looks like before the murders so I don't know why we need to check there again." Teddie said with a questionable look on his face.

"Well, Nanako-Chan did appear on the Midnight Channel as what Yu-Senpai has told us. So it is possible that since the Midnight Channel is on again, the world over there may have reverted back to what it looked like during the cases." Naoto thought using her detective skills.

"Naoto, you don't need to call me senpai anymore alright?" Yu said and he received a nod from Naoto. "Either way though, I think we should check it out. We want to make sure Nanako is not in there before going on a full scale search across Japan. And to do that, we need Rise's persona and she doesn't seem like she's up for the mood. So let's get some rest and meet up here at nine in the morning tomorrow." Yu suggested.

They all nodded in unison as they all stood up to go to their respective homes. Yu however headed towards the Southern Shopping District. He walked towards the Marukyu Tofu shop where Rise's Grandmother was the owner of. He stood in front of the entrance nervously as he didn't know if he should talk to Rise or not. He then decided to knock on the closed door and waited for a response. He waited for a few minutes and thought about just walking away until the door slid open. He saw an old face looking at him and the face was Rise's Grandmother. She looked at him for a moment before giving him a smile."

"Ah Yu-Kun, I haven't seen you in a long time. Come in. Come in," She smiled as she proceeded to let him in."

"Thank you, umm I never really got your name while I was here," Yu asked awkwardly as he stepped into the shop.

"On yes I never told you haven't I? Well it's Tamiko." She replied happily.

"Oh well it's nice to see you again Tamiko-san." Yu responded with a smile of his own.

"Yes it is Yu-Kun, Where have you've been for so long?" Tamiko asked.

"Well I was in America, studying there and eventually started my own business over there." Yu responded.

"Well… it's good to see you're being successful in your life. So what brings you here?" she asked with curiosity on her face.

"I'm here to see Rise. Is she here?" he asked with concern in his voice worrying where she is if she's not there. Tamiko noticed this and put his worries to rest.

"Yes, but as I remember she came in with tears in her eyes and asked if she could just go to her room and to be left alone." She replied to him in a sad voice. "Do you know what happened to her?"

Yu looked down in shame once again as he spoke with guilt in his voice, "Yes, I kind of yelled at her because of my anger. Dammit! I was so stupid!" Yu yelled before realizing he was cursing in front of an elder. "Oh my apologies Tamiko-San, I got carried away there." He added thinking she might get mad and feel uncomfortable with him there.

Nevertheless, she chuckled and replied, "It's okay Yu-kun, we all have let our anger get the best of us before."

"Yes but, I made Rise upset with me and she possibly hates me for that now. I mean I haven't seen her in a while and I never even tried to talk to her or visit her in so long. She probably thinks I'm jerk for not being with her and my friends." Yu said sadly as he remembered how he got himself in this situation in the first place.

"Well… she might be angry at you but I know she doesn't hate you," Tamiko said while Yu looked on with curiosity. "You don't know but nearly every day when she comes home, she would say things about the friends she made and especially you. She would say how her Senpai was so cool and how Yu-Senpai understands me. It gave me headaches every time I hear it but I was also happy that she was happy with all of her friends. Rise admires you very much Yu-Kun, a little too much if you ask me but, nevertheless she admires you."

Yu stood there a while, taking in everything that Tamiko just said. Is what she saying true? It was a no brainer that Rise had an obvious crush on him but did she really like him? He didn't really know the answer to that question but decided to ask Rise herself.

"Really, she said all those things about me?" Yu asked shyly.

"Yes, like I said nearly every day." She said and immediately Tamiko frowned a bit. "I don't have much longer. I need to know someone is there for her, and I know her parents won't be the ones to do that,"

"Wait, why?" Yu asked with genuine curiosity as he didn't here Rise talk about this at all.

"Oh, she never told you? Well I don't think I should be the one to tell you about it but I want you to know that I think you would be the perfect person for her." Tamiko said with a sad smile as she started to walk away.

Yu was confused. Everything was pushed towards him in so little time. He didn't know what she meant to be the perfect person for Rise. He knew he was definitely not the perfect guy for Rise and he never will be.

"Wait, what do you-"Yu started before being cut off by Tamiko. "She's upstairs in her room, last door to the left if you want to talk to her," she walked upstairs to her room and left Yu to think about things alone. He wondered if he should even talk to her or not. His conscious however decided to go up the stairs.

* * *

><p>Rise was in her room, tears were still evident in her eyes as she was crying for most of the night. She heard her Senpai enter the tofu shop. She stood up and put her ear on the door to hear her Grandmother and Senpai talk. She heard everything and now was debating on going out there or not. She was still mad at Yu but at the same time felt sad for Yu. She wanted to be there for him but she didn't want to make it too easy for Yu to be forgiven.<p>

She just laid on her bed, thinking about her feelings and her emotions. They were everywhere and she couldn't get anywhere just sitting around like this. Rise decided to get up and go out until she heard a soft knock on the door.

"Rise? It's me Yu, can I come in?"

* * *

><p>Yu was now outside the door of Rise's room. He asked to come in but didn't get a response. He tried knocking again and still no response. He put his head near the door and said in a comforting voice,<p>

"Rise, I know you're mad at me and you have every right to be. I messed up a lot recently and I know some of my mistakes can't be forgiven easily. From not visiting you guys and yelling at you, I wouldn't be surprised if you're pissed at me. But I just wanted to say anyways that I'm sorry Rise. I know that just saying sorry will not let you forgive me but I just wanted to let you know that."

Yu finished and started to walk away from the door. When he was just about to take the first step, the door slid opened and he saw Rise. He saw her red bloodshot eyes with tears still running down her face. Yu looked in surprise as she ran up to him and embraced him tightly as she started to sob again on his torso. Yu was still in shock of the sudden change in mood of Rise but nevertheless, he put his arms around her and started to rub her back.

Rise was sobbing her eyes out as her tears were just pouring out of her eyes to Yu's shirt. She needed this, his comfort and apology. She really needed to know that she wasn't alone. She hugged him a bit more tightly as she stayed there for a bit longer. She then looked up to his face and told him,

"I-I-It's okay senpai," she said now smiling at Yu through her tears.

"So… does that mean you forgive me?" Yu asked hoping he can actually be forgiven.

Rise broke the embrace and put a finger to her chin as if to think of something, "Well… how about taking me to lunch one day and I'll consider it."

They both chuckled at the remark and Rise led Yu to her room and slid the door closed.

"So senpai, what are you doing here other than to just tell me you're _sorry_." She said with a smirk.

"Rise, you do know we're not at school anymore right. You don't have to call me Senpai anymore. Plus I don't think I even deserve to be called Senpai anymore from the way I've been acting," Yu remarked as he looked down in shame. Rise saw the guilt in Yu and brought his head back up so his eyes could meet hers.

"Senpai," she started in a soothing voice while also taking both of his hands and intertwined it with hers. "You shouldn't think that way. I think you're a great guy and I call you Senpai because you deserve to be called it. I mean you were our leader and still am and it is just weird in my opinion to call you anything else but Senpai."

Yu looked at her and stared into her brown eyes that gave him the sense of comfort. For some reason his head moved closer to her face.

"You're my friend Rise. I think it would feel better just to call me Yu." Yu said in a very soft voice.

Rise's head moved closer also. They both moved closer until their foreheads and noses were finally touching. The environment was perfect. It was like they were in their own little world, just the two of them.

"I will still call you my Senpai, Senpai. I will always consider you as my Senpai." Rise replied as their lips were getting closer and closer waiting for the inevitable. They were just an inch apart until they heard a knock on the door.

"Rise-Chan, Yu-kun, are you both okay in there?"

They both broke apart very quickly. Rise was disappointed as her grandmother ruined the moment between her and her Senpai. Yu however had conflicting feelings. He liked Rise very much and he cared about her. But does he really like her and maybe to the extent of loving her? Rise decided to respond to her grandmother.

"Yes Grandma, we're fine."

"Okay if you need me, I'll be in my room alright?" Tamiko responded before finally they heard her footsteps and she left to go back to her room.

There was an awkward silence that filled the air around them. Reality started to set in as they both realized what they were about to do. The silence continued for a long while with both of them not knowing what to say to each other. Rise decided it was too quiet and decided to ask Yu again,

"So Senpai, what was it you came here for?"

Yu was snapped out of his thoughts and remembered why he came here for. He can't believe something like this slip his mind especially since Nanako is missing. "Did you check your phone?" he asked.

"No, I turned my phone off so I didn't check my phone," she replied.

"Rise, Nanako-Chan is missing. She appeared on the Midnight Channel and I heard a scream downstairs. When I went down, I saw my uncle unconscious and Nanako gone with the door unlocked. I believe she got kidnapped and-"

"WHAT! Senpai, why would you wait and tell me this now?" Rise pouted as she ran towards the door. "What are we waiting for? Let's go tell the others."

"I already did Rise," Yu told her. "We were waiting for you to come to the TV world to scan the area but you weren't there so we decided to go tomorrow so we can prepare."

Rise stopped in her tracks, it was because of her that they didn't want to save Nanako at this moment. It was her fault that they aren't going to the TV right now. It was all her fault for being such a cry baby to check her phone. It was her fault, all of it.

"Rise? Are you okay?" Yu asked her with concern in his voice. Her happy, peppy demeanor suddenly disappeared. Was it something he said that made her this way? Rise looked towards Yu,

"No nothing's wrong Senpai. I was just thinking about how we're going to the TV world tomorrow. I'll help you scan the area tomorrow okay Senpai," she said with a fake smile. Yu however saw through it and was questioning why? He decided he shouldn't ask about it as he knew he shouldn't push his luck too far as he could very well make her angry in a second.

"Thanks Rise, I don't know what we would do without you," Yu smiled at her as he put his hand on her shoulder. Rise felt his hand on her shoulder and blushed a bit. She was thankful that Yu thought she contributed to the team, but knew that they could go on without her if they wanted to.

"Thank you Senpai," she told him this time giving him a genuine smile.

"You're welcome," Yu returned the favor. "Anyways I have a question Rise. Your grandmother told me something about your parents. What did she mean?"

Rise then looked away from Yu and sat down on her bed. She motioned Yu to join her and Yu responded with a nod as he sat down on the bed with her. She looked up to him and started,

"Senpai, you remember me telling you about my parents one time right?" Yu nodded in return as Rise continued. "I told you they were very strict about everything. Remember when I said I was very shy when I was little? Well… my parents didn't really see anything in me. They thought I will never live up to anything in my life and that I would just be a failure in their eyes. Even though they didn't say it, I can tell every time they would make me do something that I didn't want to do or make me meet new people that I didn't want to meet. They were persistent in trying to make me the perfect girl in their eyes and never really consider how I feel. When one of my relatives my application, I thought that would give me some friends and I also thought that that will make my parents finally see me as something great." Her face looked sad and maybe again on the verge of tears, "When I became a well-known idol, I came home to see what my parents thought. I thought they would finally be proud of me and how I finally was able to do something. When I got there, they were happy. They said they were proud of me for actually doing something in my life. Later though, I realized that my parents were happy only because I became Risette. They loved the feeling of becoming famous and only liked me because I was going to make them famous. When I realized that, I never visited them again. Every time I would go to the city they live in now, I would just avoid them in any way possible." She was now on the verge of tears once again as she told everything to Yu. "I-I-I st-still fe-fe-feel alone even after trying to sh-show my true self and I-I-I don't know w-wh-what to do S-Senpai," she finished her sentence and started to cry again. Yu was at a lost on what she just told him. He didn't know Rise had such a bad upbringing even after telling him about her shyness. He decided that he shouldn't be thinking about these things when Rise is crying like this, so he pulled her into a hug and tried to comfort her as much as he could. He rubbed her back as she cried on his shoulder, wrapping her arms around his neck in the process.

"Shhhh, it's ok." He said in a comforting voice as he tried to calm Rise down. "I think you cried enough for one night. You're not nothing, you have turned your life around in such a manner that no one would even think was possible. You are still you Rise, and I think you're a great woman and an even greater friend." Yu finished and continued to embrace Rise. Rise heard her Senpai's words and is crying even harder now, not in sadness but this time with joy. She was glad she could meet someone like Yu. He was the only one that saw her as Rise Kujikawa and not just Risette the idol. He was the one that saw her for who she was truly and to show her that Risette is a part of her too. She was grateful that she could meet a guy like Yu and hopefully she could do the same for him.

"Th-thank you, s-s-so much, Senpai," she muffled on his shoulder as she calmed down after shedding her last few tears.

Yu smiled at her and they both stayed in each other's arms for a little longer until they both broke the embrace.

Yu stood up from the bed and said to her, "Well, it's getting late so I think I should be goin-" he was cut off as Rise grabbed Yu's arm and brought him over to the bed again.

"Senpai, stay with me?" she asked innocently as Yu was surprised that Rise would ask the question. "Pleeeeeeease?" she asked again while using her puppy dog eyes at Yu. Yu looked into them and he knew once she used them on him, there was no way of getting out of it.

"_Dammit Rise, why do you have to use your eyes now?" _ Yu thought before sighing and nodding in agreement to Rise's suggestion.

"Yaaaaaaay!" She shouted in happiness before lying down on her bed and Yu followed. They both got under the covers and Rise took the initiative and wrapped her arms around Yu. Yu was flustered for a moment before eventually wrapping his arms around her as well. Rise smiled as she was now "sleeping" with the man she admires the most. Her eyes started to become heavy before eventually falling asleep in his warm protective arms.

Yu was still awake and saw that Rise fell asleep quickly, most likely because of the events of today. She was now snoring softly and to him it was just adorable. He was still in deep thought however as he questioned to himself about his feelings towards Rise. Was it really love he is experiencing, or is it just plain attraction. He decided that it was way too late to think about those types of things and followed suit and started to fall asleep, knowing that tomorrow will be a very interesting day.

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><p><em><strong>AN: Hey well... yeah sorry if the characters are a little OOC but I mean it's been ten years so they're bound to change. So I will be doing weekly updates as I really don't have enough time to do it during the week so just expect the weekly updates. Unless I go on another hiatus. So anyways, hopefully you guys enjoyed and I'll see you guys later.**_


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